My Suitcase and Tuba in Hand

No, I didn’t bring my tuba on this trip, but I am homeward bound starting tomorrow. The next step is to write two or three book chapters for Back Roads, Dark Skies and begin the process of trying to find a publisher. I am also beginning to plan the second major trip to the Southwest (New Mexico and Arizona). The book is beginning to form a real shape in my mind, which I will share with you as it continues to develop, though I’ll limit the number of excerpts I publish here.

The Main Injector Neutrino Oscillation Search (MINOS) detector in Soudan. Behind this octagonal steel plate lies a series of plastic sheets. Note the scale of the experiment from the stairs at the right.

In the meantime, here’s a picture from deep in the Soudan mine in northern Minnesota, depicting the Main Injector Neutrino Oscillation Search (MINOS) detector. Neutrinos travel from Fermilab 734 kilometers away and enter the detector, allowing for measurement of neutrino oscillation. By comparing the number of mu neutrinos at the Fermilab detector to the number at the Soudan detector, MINOS can constrain mixing angles and the mass difference between neutrino flavors.